Wednesday, August 26, 2009

A friend and I wept with the truth carried by those words. They echoed a sentiment my heart has come to know all too well.

Bad things shouldn't happen to good people. Bad shit should only happen to bad people. Yeah, right! Perhaps in a perfect World.

Bad things happen. Period. I really don't believe that we can necessarily contribute those things to bad luck, falling into bad karma, negative magick. To assume that our Deities are putting us through tests of strength or endurance is nothing more than arrogance. I suspect that the Gods have better things to do than to indulge the over inflated egos of mere mortals.

Let's face it though, when something goes horribly wrong in our lives, we often feel the need to lay the blame somewhere, because the possibility that awful things just randomly happen...would be inconceivable.

My mother and sister died within 6 months of each other and while they had both suffered from long term serious and terminal illnesses, that knowledge brought me only minimal comfort. And just when I didn't think things could possibly get worse, my Dad was diagnosed with cancer and within 15 months, I had lost my entire family.

"What the fuck?!", I thought", totally convinced that I was being punished for something I done, that I was cursed or that it was retribution for some huge karmic debt held over from this, as well as every one of my past lives! I remember thinking, "I must have been a horrible person in another life" It wasn't supposed to happen this way! Or perhaps...it was.

I truly believe that there are reasons for everything we experience and for those in our lives that experience it with us. That is not to say that our lives are predestined, only that there are things that we need to experience, directly or indirectly, either for our own personal growth, to prepare us to deal with some future event or perhaps to help others do the same. These things are just part of the soul's evolutionary process; those lessons that are necessary for the next phase of the soul's journey. So what lesson came to me from all this? Well, I learned that, when I had to be, I was stronger than I ever believed humanly possible.

The energy we expend trying to figure out why bad things happen or who or what is responsible is the ultimate exercise in futility. I've since learned that when when I'm presented with a difficult life situation or worse, one that sucks to a mind blowing degree, the first thing I do is look at it from the best and worst case scenarios. Then, I learn everything I possibly can to prepare for both. After all, knowledge is power! I concentrate all the energy that would have been wasted on trying to figure out who to blame, on what I can do to make the situation better. This immediately puts the control back in my hands. If there isn't anything I can do from a mundane standpoint, I consider what I might be able to do spiritually or magickally and I do it! And...I don't fuck around! I think this is where magick is monumentally beneficial and so much better than sitting around worrying about the outcome while merely hoping for the best.

Still, there comes a time when we need to accept that what, "wasn't supposed to happen this way" did, and may be beyond the scope of what we can influence without Divine Intervention. I believe that therein lies the lesson.

When I was a kid, my Mom taught me a little prayer for those times when I need to be reminded of this lesson.

"Hecate, grant me the serenity to accept the the things I can not change, bring your power to my magick to change the things I can and your wisdom to know the difference".

Thursday, August 20, 2009

So, today I heard yet another news report about a horrendous murder that the media is contributing to use of "Black Magic". This has to be the fourth in as many weeks. Then last night, I tuned into one of my favorite shows, "A Haunting". The episode was about a woman and her son who were plagued by "Sprites", after the woman, who was practicing Wicca, admitted, "I guess I really didn't know what I was dealing with". Oh for the love of nerve!

Now ya gotta know, this is just the kind of hype the media lives for. The fact is however, magick is neither black nor white, it's all in how you use it. What one considers "Black Magick" is nothing more than focused energy with a negative intent. And if someone has ever pissed you off to the point you wished that they get exactly what they deserve, guess what? You've just practiced negative magick. That's called, "Black Wishing" and taking a wild guess here, we've all done it.

We're talking magick here folks and whether you believe in it or not, the possibilities are as limitless as one's imagination. You don't have to be Wiccan or a Witch to use it either. That said, if you're going to indulge in the occult arts, I'll give you my unsolicited two cents. Firstly, know what the hell you're doing and be prepared for the consequences.

Let's be honest though, if magick worked to that degree of accuracy every time we used it, we would all be married to our soul mates, be wealthy, beautiful, the World would be free of disease and poverty and all our enemies would be infested with the fleas of a thousand friggin' camels! If someone commits a horrendous crime, it's not necessarily because they're practicing negative magick, it's because they're crazier than a bag of rats!

Still, there is a ton of literature and a bunch of naive, unstable or pissed off people out there who are more than willing to pick up a book and delve into the darkest areas of magick without ever thinking about the implications. What you have is unharnessed energy in the hands of an idiot with a book.

I'll tell you a little tale of the first spell I'd ever cast. I had just learned that my Dad was suffering with terminal cancer. I knew that a cure was not possible, so I cast a spell for what I believed was "for the good of all". That being, that he suffer not a moment of pain throughout the duration of his illness.

I hadn't been practicing very long at that point, so I didn't think it necessary to cast a protective circle or call quarters or shield myself in any way. I just called upon the Goddess Hecate and winged it! I knew very little about Hecate at that point, with the exception that she was very powerful and was known as the "The Queen of the Witches". Given the magnitude of my request, I needed this to work and didn't care what I needed to do to get it. So, with all the emotion and intent I could muster, I cast my spell, somewhat skeptical of it's success and giving little thought to it afterward.

The next day, I woke up feeling, not.quite.right. It felt like the flu. "Hmmmm.....strange, I thought, maybe it was something I ate". Well, by that evening, I had a high fever, a violent headache, a rash that had now spread all over my body, cough, abdominal pain. I was terrified! I couldn't remember ever feeling worse! I ended up in the Emergency Room, where the doctors suspected meningitis, but were actually taking out medical journals to try to determine what the hell I had. I was ill for two weeks, no one ever did figure it out. My Dad, passed away 9 months later with an arsenal of narcotics for pain in his refrigerator that he never needed to take. Was it worth it? I would do it again in a heart beat, just a little more wisely.

I guess my best advice would be know yourself, know and practice your craft wisely and without ego, be clear about your purpose and intent, acknowledge and honor your Deities. There is nothing more humbling than having your ass kicked by the Dark Mother!

Most importantly, Magick does works and often in the way we least expect it!

Monday, August 10, 2009

So last night I didn't sleep well at all. Just as had begun to fall asleep, I began to hear the faint rumble of thunder in the distance. "Oh that's just great!", I thought to myself. My dogs are terrified of storms and become very restless during them. Usually all four dogs will either huddle under my bed or pace around the room panting and whining until the storm passes. This storm was odd in that the thunder began a couple of hours before it developed into anything significant. I finally fell asleep somewhere close to 2 a.m.

It didn't occur to me until I looked at the clock this morning that, "Oh crap! It's Monday!". I had overslept and now would get a late start getting ready for work. For the next hour so, I rushed about and finally realizing that, since there was no way I was ever going to get to work on time, I might as well be really late. I decided to walk.

I enjoy walking to work. I listen to the birds sing, connect with the elements and just lose myself in thought. I find that by the time I arrive at my office, things don't appear to suck quite as much as I originally thought! Besides, stressed out and pissed off is never a good way to start the day!

I had just turned my first corner, when I noticed three men in dark suits standing in front of a small church near our home. "Church services? On a Monday morning?", I wondered. Then I noticed a hearse parked at the curb. This, in retrospect, seemed appropriate given the way the day began.

The men were chatting directly in the center of the sidewalk where I needed to pass, which was vaguely awkward. I felt it would be rude not to acknowledge them, but what was I supposed to say? "Good Morning" didn't really feel appropriate under the circumstances.

As I passed by the hearse, I got a decidedly creepy feeling. Then, as I approached the men, as if choreographed, they all stepped aside to let me pass by and in unison said, "Good Morning!". Ok, so perhaps it was the lack of sleep or the weirdness of the situation, but at that moment, I just found this all really friggin' amusing. "Apparently not for some of us", I responded before I could stop myself. Oooops! Outside voice!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

So, you know how I recently wrote about my learning to work with spirit guides? Well, at some point after one receives their second degree Reiki attunement, their spirit guides may make an appearance. Now, I have to be honest, I am nothing if not open-minded. I am a true believer in afterlife communication because I've experienced it first hand and have an "open door" policy when it comes to visits from the dead people, but the whole "spirit guide" thing? Meh...I was beginning to have my doubts.

My Reiki Masters made many suggestions for how we might connect with these beings, and I've tried all of them! Guided meditations, Shamanic Journeying, pleading, whining. I got nothing! I've had better luck with dead people, dammit! I was beginning to suspect that if my spirit guides really did exist, they were just not that into me!

A few nights ago, I sat down to do my own Reiki healing. The more one connects to the Universal Life Force Energy, the more potent and powerful it is becomes, so I try to practice daily. I put on my favorite meditation CD, lit some incense, closed my eyes and began to connect to the energy. The beautiful full moon shining down on me through the window added it's own energy to the experience.

After about a half hour of blissful Reiki-ing, suddenly, out of no where, came a flash of brilliant blue light surrounding the profile of a woman's face! The woman, a Victorian lady, looked to be in her early 30's, with a lovely, serene expression. However, she wasn't anyone I recognized.

Imagine, if you will, an antique photograph, yellowed by age, in which the subject's facial features and hair are clearly defined, but the remainder of the photo is pale and faded. Now imagine this photo instead, vibrant blue, and you will have a fairly accurate description of what I'd just experienced!

I felt no fear whatsoever, but kept my eyes tightly closed both to hold the visual and because I wasn't really sure I was ready to open them to find her, ya know, standing in the middle of my living room!

"Was this my spirit guide?", I wondered, which my stunned senses translated as, "Holy friggin' crap!". Yet, before I could even begin wrapping my mind around the possibilities, the words that have manifested themselves in my life more often and more dramatically than I could have ever imagined came to mind with stunning clarity...

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

This past weekend, I participated in two Lammas celebrations. Lammas marks the first harvest of the year, is one of three celebrated harvest festivals and heralds the coming of Autumn. It's also a time of reflection upon what we've accomplished or the blessings we have reaped in our lives.

One of rituals I attended was held in a beautiful 65 acre nature center adjacent to a wildlife preserve. After the rites had ended, I was sitting next to the fire, listening to the birds singing. Twilight would soon be approaching and I decided to take a walk down a path through the woods to see if I could spot the first little bats of the evening. I love bats!

I walked only a short distance when there, directly in the center of the path, stood a young tree that created a natural crossroads to what lie ahead. I considered choosing a path, but instead decided to honor someone who has, often in less than subtle ways, guided me along the way. Hecate, the Goddess of the Crossroads.

It is customary to leave food at the crossroads as an offering to Hecate, so I ran back to the pavilion where the ritual had taken place, snatched a mini muffin off the table and headed back down the path. I also brought with me, a single yellow rose.

When I arrived back, I knelt down to lay the rose and the offering at the base of the tree, only to discovered a large toadstool that had also created a perfect little natural altar for me to lay my gifts upon..and so I did.

I looked past the trees, gave thanks for my accomplishments, my blessings, the people in my life who have encouraged and inspired me and wondered what might await me on the path beyond. I realized then that perhaps for today, I had gone as far enough. For now, I am exactly where I was meant to be.

Monday, August 3, 2009

My friend and fellow writer Voodoo Child came up with a brilliant idea to interview one occultist per month and post it on her blog site. She has honored me by including me for the month of July as her first interview.

If you have reading me for a while than you have heard me rave about her blog! She is a fascinating lady who has inspired me to pursue my own interests in rootwork.

I strongly encourage you to check out her site at VoodooChild at www.passionrituals.blogspot.com.

Merry Meet!

I am a witchcraft practicing, conjure working, Full Moon worshipping daughter of the Arts.
I have been interested in Witchery for as long as I can remember. As a child, when I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer was, "a Witch." The musing of a child?
I have been practicing for about 20 years, give or take a year and a day. I am a 2* Initiate in British Tradition Gardnerian Wicca.
We teach a training group in Gardnerian Wicca and can be found on Witchvox is "Circle of the Ancient Ways".
I am also a Okuden level, Jikiden Reiki practitioner, a Reiki Master/Teacher in Usui System of Natural Healing. I have had training as an End of Life doula.
In the mundane World, I am a Surgical Coordinator, wife and mother.